Thoren was the first off the ship, moving with deadly intent towards Jasper. Alaric and I followed, though Ann stayed put with the others, face in hands. They could hear, from where they were. Thoren snagged Jasper like a hound grabs a rabbit, dragging him up off the ground by his shirt after the man claimed to know nothing. Then he shook him, a terrier with a rat, intending to break it’s neck. My hand was over my mouth, and I was torn between howling with laughter and trying to stop him. Thorin was promising to make Jasper a very unhappy person if he found out that was a lie, before dropping Jasper as though he weighed no more then myself.

Now I did start to laugh. I could hear Ann, behind me, half laughing, half gasping as well.
Then Thorin returned to us, and her laughter stopped; she backed up for every step he took forward and disappeared once more behind Meyonne. That only made me laugh harder.
We didn’t have the money to buy Farn back, not that I was entirely willing to, anyway. Ann and

I hatched a plan, that she would scout the area before anyone headed in. Thorin knew where she needed to go and would give her directions, but Alaric and Meyonne decided to start playing the Big Overprotective Males. They refused to let her go alone. Which is incredibly stupid, really; what do they think we did before they came onto the scene? Hm? Found random big, strong muscle heads to play as bodygaurds?

Men.

“It’ll be safer if I go alone.” She said, glancing at me. “I can become a cat, if it makes you feel better.”

“What I was thinking.” I agreed, and couldn’t keep the huff out of my voice. We’re not helpless, damn it!

Meyonne pointed out that there were no cats in Almoric, as if that would end the argument. He certainly sounded like he expected it to.

Ann started to argue, when Conchetta’s soft, amazed voice sounded from behind us, asking Ann if she could really become a cat. I felt a smile soften my features, half turning to her. She was so cute and wide eyed, one of the few innocent beings I had ever met. Or so it appered.


Ann didn’t look away frm Meyonne once, caught in a silent, gaze-only battle with him, stubborn elf VS stubborn monk.

“Yes. I’m a rather cute blonde tabby, actually.”

“She is kinda cute.” I spoke up, grinning crookedly. What? She is. All fluffy and long furred. I won’t lie, petting her is nice, when she lets it happen. Everyone who uses that thing pretty much turns into the same cat, with very subtle differences; for example, when Skin used it, he was skinnier. Meyonne was just a touch bigger. I’m told my fur is a little darker. But all a blonde tabby.

Meyonne was shaking his head once more.

Ann demanded to know who better to go and scout the area then herself, but Meyonne still refused to let her go alone. Alaric finally volunteered to go with her, stating they were both ‘cursed’ anyway, and no one would look at them. Ann was agreeable enough to that, and Meyonne, as well. They got directions from Thorin, and left.

When a good hour had past, we started to get fidgety, the rest of us. They’d been gone too long, and it was getting nearer our deadline. It was decided that we’d go hunting for them.
We found Alaric, who said Ann had taken off on the rooftops after an enemy. He helped us locate her, and we headed in that direction. It wasn’t long before a little blonde cat came running at us, bleeding from few wounds and growling in that pissed-off-kitty-cat way. Thorin suddenly acted, shock and fear crossing his face, and to my horror nearly cleved Ann into half-an-elf.

“Stop, Thoren, it’s Anja!” Meyonne snapped. Thorin demanded to know how he was sure, that the cat could be a spy and needed to be killed.
Kitty-Ann growled and lay her ears.

“It’s Ann, Thorin, I should know. I’ve seen her like this dozens of times, no one else looks like this! Trust me!” I added, keeping the fear out of my tone. Instead I let myself sound amused and confident. Don’t second guess me, just trust me.

Thorin nodded, and Ann returned to human form. She was hurt, alright, just as Alaric had been when we'd found him, and Meyonne crowned himself King of the Obviouse when he stated that.

Ann gave him a tired look, then told us what she'd learned after Meyonne had Alaric heal her. She wanted to go back and watch the sentries, to see where they went, and wanted me with her. Dispite everything that's happened, every new addition to our group and change made to both of us, we're still a good team, she and I. And I looked forward to working solo with her again. I agreed without hesitation and a grin, and the men were going back through the streets, entering the way she and Alaric had origonally gone.

Ann and I slipped over the roofttops, towards the men, myself in front and Ann falling behind, my deadlier shadow. We split to close in once we got close enough-

-and then I slipped.

Then vanished like spooked deer while I swore under my breath and gripped my now-aching foot, lucky only that I hadn't fallen. I shrugged helplessly at Ann when she came into veiw, and began to pick my way towards the ally Ann and Alaric had been attacked in. She fell back again.

We closed into three archers, patrolling an overpass. I crept to the edge of one of the homes onthe street, and Ann was moments behind me when she got my attention, and signelled there were men below. Five, inside the house we walked on.

Okay then. So far, eight men.

Ann motioned me to the stairs, and I nodded, doing as she wished. I stopped, though when I saw yet three more.

Eleven.

I motioned hard at Ann, who told me to keep going to the stairs, not to strike yet. I did so, cautiously, now below her.

Then a wind began to sing. It grew harder and harder, louder and louder. I stayed perfectly still and hopped it was nothing we needed to worry about.

Then, suddanly, above me, Ann's bow sang. There was a solid, meaty thunk, and the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the rooftop.

One for one, nice shot, Ann.

Then, again, the high sound of an arrow's flight, followed by a scream of pain.

"Bitch!"

You have no idea.


Again the sound of an arrow being fired, and again, the sound of a body hitting the rooftop.

Two. Get it over with, Ann, stop toying with them!

I was moving, now, coming up on my own victim with dagger in hand. Fool was too slow, too stupid, and my blade cut through him like butter, even with him watching me come.

Ann's voice, calling out from above me. Funny, how in battle we call for each other rather then the others. Instinct, maybe, from traveling alone togther for so long?

"I'm trying, keep going!" I called up, and just as I did, I hear a thud, the arrow again, and a final heavy thunk.

Three men, four arrows. Damn, girl.

I spun, jumping up to just below where Ann stood, cornered by two men. I had one more- just one more to put down before I could help her. The fucker would just not drop.

"So, this is what comes." The taller of the two drawled, looking at Ann with a disgusted leer, then letting his eyes drift to me. The man I'd been fighting had stopped, just like that.

"We recived an invitation to play." I drawled, letting a smirk curl my lips up. My blood was up, the adreinaline rushing through my veins. That cold, calm place was back, where it hadn't been for weeks, and I could feel something mildly manic in my voice and my smile.

He grinned to match my own, jerking a hand to the left. "Kill the elf, this one is mine." He snarled.

"Well, don't I feel special." I barked back, shifting my grip on my daggers. In truth, I was- sort of confused. Had my little taunt made him that angry?

He only kept grinning, and then his body was shifting, rippling, contorting and twisting and then, standing before me, was a sabertooth tiger, towering above my own height. His fangs gleamed, and his eyes sparked with dangerouse malice and intellegence, a bad combination. He was not beautiful, as Ann had been, but pure power.

And much much larger.

"Well, here, kitty kitty." I purred, dispite the fear that now battled for attention along with the adreilaline. Why on why had the pretty kitty decided he wanted me for himself? Just because I mocked him? Oh, temper temper, puss.

Above me, Ann had vanished onto the rooftops, and I could hear her yelling; Thorin and Meyonne were coming up in my perivrial vision, one holding a great axe, one with halabard. Alright, reinforcements. Let's hope Ann and I could last until they got to us.

And so we danced. I quickly found out it was a really bad thing if kitty managed to grapple me, and with sheer luck managed to break free once; then I jumped off the stairs and began trying to coax him onto ground level, which he didn't want to do. It wasn't long before Meyonne was by my side, in front of me; and we found out something very interesting.

Kitty kitty tried to bite Meyonne, and to all our of surprise-

-nothing happened. Meyonne stood, looking mildly confused and amused, and then laughed a bit. "I don't," He said, "think that did what you meant it to do."

And then we attacked.

Halfway through our suddan rush of kitty kitty, I we all stopped at the sound of voices from above us. We turned, looking up, and my heart jumped into my mouth.

Heshnel.

On his left and right were more figures, all robed and wearing white masks- one a woman, holding something I couldn't see, and the other a man, holding paper. We could hear, clearly, though we couldn't see well. A werebear (where did that come from?) told Heshnel it wasn't his fight. Confused, I glanced at Meyonne, arching a brow. He shrugged.

Hesnel said he was only there to observe, and that he had quite a bit of gold on this fight. No one, he said, was to take an agressive action on them.

Then the bear growled, and Ann yelped for Thorin. The fight was on once more. Thorin powerhoused past us and the weretiger, as if none of us were there, and charged at the bear. Heshnel was saying something else, but I couldn't catch it. Thorin's powerful yell drowned it out as his axe slammed into the bear.

Then our attention was brought back to the tiger, and what happened above I don't know.

The next thing I remember the bear was bellowing for our tiger to 'avenge him', but the tiger, huge coward he was, yelled back for the bear to 'avenge himself!'

And then he ran away. Too fast for me to even consider chasing him, and no way I could track him, not, perhaps, without Ann. So, I settled for the next best thing.

Heckling.

"Ann was a prettier one!"

Beside me, Meyone flashed me a Look, then headed up to the roof to assecess the situation. I just grinned and followed.

When we got up there, Alaric and An nwere argueing over keeping the now unconciouse were-bear alive, and bring him back on the ship. My eyebrows shot up at the suggestion, knowing that Ann's explosion was going to come any moment now.

Sure enough, the familer stubborn look came across her face and her arms folded. I know that pose very well. That is Ann's I'm done listening to anything you have to say pose. Meyonne, Thorin and I stayed quietly out of the way while Alaric and Ann bickered. Alaric had a good point; questioning the bear would have gotten us a few useful answers. And if we'd kicked his ass once, we could do it again, if he tried anything.

Ann, of course, refused to allow the bear onto her ship. She's rediculesly protective of a chunk of flying wood, as if it were alive and aware.

For all I know......maybe it is, in a way.

That is a mildly disturbing thought, and I'll let it drop now.

Alaric again snapped that we could question this fallen behemoth, if we only left him alive for a bit longer. Pushing her. Pushing the subject.

I knew what happens when she feels backed into a corner. Like a donkey, she plants her heels and throws her weight against the rope, and if you keep trying she'll bite you. You can't force or demand for Ann to move. You have to coax and coherce her.

Alaric found this out the hard way when Ann lifted her bow and plowed several arrows dead on into the bear. When she looked up and met my eyes, I realized something.

She made the oath. She always makes her oath when she feels threatened, and if she doesn't follow through on it-

-ug. She gets mopey and gloomy and is without doubt the most unpleasent and unhelpful person to be around. Ever.

I let my lips turn up into a little smile of understanding a nodded at her- that was right, anyway- and Alaric let his argument go without too much bitterness, it seemed. I glanced down at the bear's still body, not breathing, barely moving. It would stop in a few minutes, like the aftershocks to an earthquake.

What does it say about me that I've seen enough bodies die to know?

Still, this was a were-bear, not a normal human, and I couldn't help asking just to be sure if he was really dead. To my surprise, it was Hesnel that answered me, stepping forward. He said no, it wasn't, but as the body litterally melted to a steaming pile of goo before us I wondered if maybe just this once he was mistaken.

I stepped back from the goo as Hesnel continued to speak. He told us we'd won him a good amount of money, and for it, he'd see that Farn was returned to us. We hadn't won him enough for the information we wanted, though. I smirked. Again, I couldn't help but sort of like him; he certianly didn't seem all bad. And if the Were that had attacked us didn't like him, then he was okay in my book.

Ann set about checking the bodies while Hesnel made snide comments that we all ignored, then Alaric cast a spell I, by now, as used to seeing. One that lets him speak with the dead.

Creepy as all fuck, it is, but really useful sometimes.

He asked the bear why they wanted us out of the city, because apperantly they did.

Money, of course, was his driving reason. It usually is, especally in these situations. I was not really startled.

Apperantly he'd also taken a potion to change into the were-bear form, unlike my kitty. He'd changed au natural, as far as I'd noticed. They asked the bear what that potion had been.

Now, here I was a little taken aback. Because he replied, blood.

Oh, gross.

Next question was 'who gave you the- well, erm, the blood, technically, but okay.....'

And the answer made my stomach slam to my feet.

Razen Delcova.

Ah, fuck.

Seems like the people I know are smack bang in the middle of all this drama, and very few of them seem to have any decent roles.

When asked where he'd last been seen, the answer came back vauge enough. Something or someplace called 'Death Fire's Forge.' And isn't that a lovely little sounding name? Every place we go to seems to entail general unpleasentness somehow. Mostly, anyway.

I glanced at my compaions, and someone asked 'where', but there was no reply, and suddanly Hesnel was reminding us that we'd made just a little bit of a commotion and gaurds were probably rapidly coming.

I had about enough of the gaurds of Almoric for one evening, thanks all the fucking same.

It was time to go.

Hesnel melted back into the shadows, with his lackies, and I snagged Ann and Alaric. Meyonne and Thorin were already headed away from the mess, wisely. We made our way back to the ship in silence; the only speaking was rapid gestureing between Ann and I, totally voiceless conversation. You'd be surprised, I think, at how complex our little hand signals to each other can get; hell, I was surprised. I woke up knowing my name.

That's all.

There are a ton of people who know me I don't know, and things about myself I discover. Like being married, and 'dead'.


Oh, and guess what, apperantly you know this entire language composed of hand signals and guestures that only a small portion of people besides you understand.

Oh, yeah, and you can read this language to the south of here, because apperantly, you're from there.

And did I mention the group of mind-pinging not-dwarves that live in a huge underground city you apperantly frequented?

Oh, and your daddy just happens to be a necromancer and people are certianly frightened whenever his name comes up. Just to let you know, your dad might be Evil Incarnate. Have a nice day!

.....of course, what teenager wouldn't think their dad is evil incarnate?

Ah, the teenage drama.

Meanwhile, getting back to the point.

When we got back on board- past a group of solom, watchful soilders- I was immediatly attacked by Conchetta, not to my displeasure. I felt something inside me lighten as she squealed and ran over, catching her easily and looping an arm over her shoulders. I murmured to her to calm down, grinning- her exuberance was impossible not to return. She made me feel like a big sister, even though I had no idea if she was older or younger then me; she looked within a few years of my age either way, but acted much younger. So, by default, I was big sister.

We had to stay for the night-no ships, apperantly, were allowed to leave at night, a situation I would find myself becoming steadily more used to. But I'm jumping ahead. For now, we bidded our time and waited for morning. Some of us slept. Some of us couldn't. I, for one, woke absurdly early in the morning. Normally, I'm a lazy bitch, and when my life doesn't depend on waking at dawn I tend to sleep like a log until my body is good and ready to get up.

I barely slept at all, and woke only an hour or so after the sun was up. Damn it. I dragged myself into cloths and on deck, feeling gritty, crotchity, grumpy and generally bitchy. I wasn't the only one up; most of the crew was running around, of course, and Ann and Meyone stood at the railing, silent together. They don't really seem to need to speak. Conchetta's babbling brook of a voice reached me, and it sand-papered off some of my bad mood. I smiled sleepily and wandered off to find her. She'd probably be with Noman.

Lord, as if we don't have enough problems. There are so many personal love dramas in our little group it's getting to be a little rediculas. And I am the worst of it all. Except for maybe Mr. And Mrs. Obliviouse at the railing.

.....damn it, Meyone, do something to her! I want to see one mussed, slightly stunned, and well-kissed (ehehe, yeah, we'll go with 'kissed') elf!

A few minutes later, though, there was a murmur through the crew, and Ann was flashing to me that something very large was flapping right our way. Snarling, I got the other's attention and we headed that way.

Ugh, it's too early for this.

Before anyone did much of anything, a huge black raven swooped down on our ship- and when I saw huge, I mean it, like freakin' rideable- and dropped off a sack. Then without so much as a by your leave, it took off again.

Blink. Blink.

Long pause. Stare.

No one moved- I think we all kind of expected it to blow up, or rip open and spill out a stupid number of lycans. There was a note pinned on the side, though, and as far as I could tell, it didn't read haha suckers.

It did, though, read something nearly as bad. Lycanthropy.

Aw well just damn it all to hell, then.

Then the sack started to make noise.

Everyone kind of went stiff as a crew member cut Farn out; he was bound, though, with a what looked like a gold-and-white, otherwise normal, rope, and someone hadn't done a half-assed job of it. Distantly, I heard Ann telling someone to get Alaric, and then she looked at me. She was pale, and yeah, yep, that was fear in her eyes. I smiled slightly, trying to reassure her. She and I had our lycanthropy removed, Alaric would be able to do it for Farn.

I hoped. My hands went instintivly for my weapons, tight on the hilts. The look Farn was giving us wasn't at all affectionate, and I was fully prepared to stick the poor, stupid fucker like a pig if I so much as thought he was going to hurt anyone on this ship. One wrong move, one wrong twitch, and this threat would be gone.

I felt sorry for Farn. It was horrible, what had happened to him. I remembered my own curse; remembered the terror of being so out of control, of being entirely at someone else's bidding. The sick rolling of my stomach the day Ann and I had slaughtered an innocent family.

Pity aside, a threat is a threat.

I didn't take my eyes off him, not even when Conchetta and Alaric came back. I snagged the note and handed it to Alaric, who drawled about perhaps wanting Farn cured?

I gave him a disbeliving glance, even as black humor invaded my anger. I couldn't help but snicker. "We kind of need him." I replied, letting my voice stay light. It wasn't as hard as it had seemed.

Alaric met my eyes and of course agreed to try. Never once did my hands leave the hilts of my daggers.

Not once.

But it was obviouse when the humanity began to return to him; you could see it not only in his eyes, but in the way he seemed to shrink. It was as if there had been some aura making him look big and powerful, and the more Alaric worked at him the more it fadded away. Like rock being worn down over time. He slumped a little more and a little more, and as he did I felt my grip on my weapons loosening. To my surprise, I felt tired, too, as if I'd just run a marathon. I glanced at Ann, who was staring at the pair intently and didn't so much as glance over.

Then, Alaric stepped back, unwinding the rope and gathering it. My hands had fallen back to my sides by then, but they didn't go for my hilts again. I felt my fingers give an invoulentary twitch, fist loosely, but that was it. It was painfully obviouse Farn was no threat at that moment. He slumped forward and had to be caught by crew members; I heard him ask for food. His voice, normally a powerful and demanding hauty tone, was now barely any better then a croaking frog. He was speaking so low I nearly couldn't hear him, voice cracking and breaking in a million places like he'd gone back to being a teenager with his voice changing.

Then he said a word that was just totally out of my leauge.

Oracalcium.

"Ora-what now?" The words were out before I could call them back. That happens, a lot, with me.

No one designed to reply; like I said. Happens a lot with me.

Instead, we headed down to get some food into Farn and the rest of us, too. Now that the crisis had passed, my stomach was chewing at itself, and I knew I couldn't be the only one that was hungry. Farn was moving like an old man, slow and huddled over, and Ann kept sending me Looks that were both significent and full of concern. I returned them, but what did she expect me to do, right then? There was nothing to do. Comforting words would be hollow. We needed him stronger, and we needed answers. The rest would come.

Farn told us what he'd learned during his kidnapping. Razzen Delcova had been missing for a week, and the men were worried about the supplies of their 'blood'; the werebear had mentioned blood. Apperantly, this deity called Ilasureta, or 'The Cleansing Flame', was a popular subject. No one was very sure why.

We fell silent after that, everyone's eyes on plates or floor. None of wanted to breech the next topic; out of everyone here, only Ann and I were really qualified to understand what had happened to Farn. And we had very differant perceptions of it, we did.

I had just opened my mouth to speak, when it was Ann's voice, not mine, that broke the silence. She asked Farn what he'd been turned into, when he turned. He told us it was a were-tiger, like the one that Meyone and I'd gone up against. Probably the same damn one. Apperantly, he'd only bit Farn in a fit of temper tantrum. He'd gotten all pissed off about something and, like any true bully, taken it out on the weakest member of the party, the only one incapible of defending himself.

Farn also said he'd killed, in that form. Told us the weretiger had thrown a prisoner in with Farn, and our diplomate had heard a woman's voice whisper to him to feed. I think he said she'd said, you're mine now, or one of us now, or something to that effect, something creepy and bloodthirsty.

The topic was swiftly changed, then, almost too swiftly, to where we meant to go next. It was almsot decided to go straight to the Kotem, so that we didn't loose our chance. They were nomadic; they traveled often and were very hard to track. But we didn't know what to ask or do once we'd found them; kind of stupid to go there with no plan.

So, much to Noman's disgust, we decided to reverse course and head back for Molholander. It was the next obviouse place to find clues of where to go.

It was the only place we knew of, to find clues of where to go.

We dismissed ourselves, one by one. I followed Ann and Alaric, Meyonne and Farn up on deck. Ann caught my eye as I came out, her head jerking slightly towards Farn. There was something stormy and brooding in her gaze, and I felt bile rise to the back of my throat.

My Farn's curse was lifted, but from the look she was giving me, he was certianly not all better.

My firast instinct was to move forward, but Ann cut me off sharply.

"No!" She snapped. "I might be infected."

I snarled, a surge of frustrated helplessness swarming me.

"I thought this Delcova shit was done!" I heard myself snap. Ann just watched me with that irritating calm she manages at times like this, that calm that makes me feel about five years old.


The area affected wasn't huge, but it was large enough, and I was careful to avoid it was we waited for the others. Meyonne reappered at last, followed by a random elf and Alaric. Bleary eyed through he was, he sobered up swiftly, and cast a spell on Ann after having her wash clean. He claimed the spell would remove all curses and illnesses.

I guess it worked, or well enough.

He also took care of the small mound of flesh and blood; we could see the result of that one. When he finished chanting, the mound looked like normal flesh again, not inflamed, angry flesh.

Well, as normal as a pile of human remains can look. We scoured the deck and everything touched. When it was certian all was safe, Alaric burned and we dumped the remains.

And the whole time, Jasper watched us. Ann brought my attention to that little fact with a subtle motion, and it got Alaric and Meyonne's attention, as well. I come forward, smirking and leaning on the railing.

"You lookin' for something?" I asked, in no mood to play games.

He wanted to know what happened, and suddanly there was Alaric, beside me, grinning that manic grin.

"Nothing a little cleansing flame couldn't handle." He said.

Fucking pyro.

Jasper wanted to know if they should be concerned, and Alaric merly repeated himself.

Jasper looked nervouse and backed away. Wisely, if you take a moment to consider it.

Then Alaric glanced at me. "He might know something more." He said, and scuttled off. Ann began to mutter instantly, and I just shrugged, following the cleric.


Alaric got Jasper's attention, and asked if he knew the man who'd come aboard the ship. Jasper's grin was a shit-eating as they came.

"I do." He said, and when Alaric reached into his purse, Jasper held out a hand and flipped his board over. It read, 'To keep everything you told me a secret-100g'

"He paied his fee." Jasper said, and I felt my teeth grind. Alaric looked dissapointed, and Jasper grinned again. "But...." He drawled, and turned the sign once more.

'To have me break my word and tell you everything- 1,000g'

My jaw hit the ground.

Alaric grinned.

Ann, behind me, said only one word.

"No."


Jasper told us we could try other questions, and trying to keep the peace, I suggested we do that. I reached into my purse, withdrawing a single, very special coin. I handed it to Jasper, who instantly flinched back.

He told me he wouldn't take Almoric coin. I grinned my most innocent grin and told him it was all I had.

"I saw where you got that." He snapped, and my grin turned guilty. Indeed, it was the dead man's money.

Hey, it'd been Alaric's idea. Don't look at me that way.

We got a few answrs frm Jasper, but mostly hit dead ends; through we did get that the man had arrived on a Citadel ship. The shi[s activies weren't looked upon well here, and there'd been clergy on the ship; and that no one cold give a proper description of the thing.

Wonderful the Citadel was involved somehow. That made things needlessly complicated.

We thanked Jasper, and headed back to our own ship. We were all in brooding silence, until Alaric at last glanced at us. He asked if we needed anything else. We said no, at least now, and he nodded. He informed us, with that, that he was going to bed. He wanted waking when everyone else came back, and with that, took his big, hung over self back below. We explained, as best as we could, to Meyonne what had happened in the Citadel, but this wasn't the same. Similar, but- differant, too.

But Ann and I both imagined that the same bloodline was behind it.

I could tell Ann was frustrated and angry; her entire body screamed it. She was stiff and tense, her arms crossed, unable to stay still. I, though, was neither, anymore. I was just- resigned. We'd known that nothing was over, should have known we'd see blacklash from the Delcovas, after everything they'd done.

This was just one more hurtle to be overcome, if we could.


I left Ann to her brooding, heading below myself to cool down and just rest. Someone got me when Farn came back; he told us he was going to clean up and wait for the others. Conchetta came back next, and Ann told her to do the same.

Then Noman. I was flying below before he even got to the ship, ready to gather the others. However, I was informed that Noman wanted to talk to us; Alaric, Meyonne, Ann, myself- alone before we got everyone else together. There was an edge to his eyes and voice I did not like, and Ann sent the other hirelings out of the room none too gently. She didn't like the way Noman was behaving, either, then. We settled around the table once they'd dispersed, and then Noman began, eyes flashing with anger. He told us that if we expected to keep him on, he wanted a pay raise, and enchanted items. He also wanted a weapon.

I felt rather then saw the danger enter Ann. Noman was treading very thin ice with her, and if he knew what was best for him he would shut up. Very few people can speak like that to Ann and get away with it. Noman is not one of them. He hadn't earned that, yet. Little fool was still only a hired hand.

I spoke before Ann could rip him a new asshole, though I was pretty annoyed myself. You want something from me, you ask, you don't fucking tell me, not when I hired you and we're miles from your home and I can dump your happy little ass right here and fucking forget about paying you at all.

I took a breath, and simply asked why that would all be nessicary, reminding him that we had an agreement.

And he told me that he hadn't agreed to go up against deities. His words pretty much shut us right the fuck up, because what do you say to that?

Especally when it's true?

"What do you mean?" I asked, feining innocence, struggling to keep my voice even. Noman informed us that he wanted us to agree to the terms first. I looked at Alaric and Ann, knowing how easily Toby's ilk could get involved; we just hadn't expected it. Alaric said, softly, that it was our gold, meaning Ann's and mine. His too, now, I wanted to say; he was, is, a part of us, now.

I pulled in a deep breath, and flashed quick hand signals back and forth with Ann. She didn't want to loose Noman, feeling he would be useful, and he did need appropriate gear. I left the final choice up to her, and she agreed to his terms.

Fine with me; but damn if my hackles weren't up at his tone and attitude.

Still, I continued to do the talking, and then Noman explained himself. Covan'd arrived sixteen days ago, and left three days ago, as we'd been told, to go to volcanic activity where the Stygyn Preistess was meant to live. She's this six armed woma who has a snake's body, and supposedly is from the 'Great War', and eats enchanted items. Only old ones, though. Supposedly, her little minions can smell magic. Enchantments.

Supposedly, Covan had purchases at was supposedly plagued. Five men had died in their prime, aged prematurely, after Coven took off. The place they'd died was belived, now, to be cursed. I looked at Ann and Meyonne, who were clearly sharing my thought- after the South, we were in no grand hurry to deal with more curses.

Alaric, between us, was silent and considering, as he always is. Quiet fell.

Well, go on, diplomat, be dipolmatic! Snapped a little voice in my head, and I forced a smile and thanked Noman, telling him we'd get to work on his needed things straight off. He smiled back, though it lacked real warmth, and suddanly Ann spoke up. She told him he'd get the armor that night. I glanced at her, as did our Cleric, our brows raised. Ann told Noman to bring in Conchetta and Farn. Noman nodded and left. I asked her how she planned to get this armor, and Ann told me she had leather armor she couldn't wear. She'd just give it to him; it'd save us money.

I hope that was just Ann using good commen sense and not Alaric's misery-ness rubbing off on her.

Speak of the man, he was laughing, softly, at her words.

The others came back in then, and Farn started us off. He told us Almoric had been without a ruler for one hundered some odd years, because the tribes couldn't agree on one. There is a task said to be made by dragons, the same thing Mr. Axe was going for, to crown oneself leader, but you must first pass seventeen-seventeen-challanges. The people's deitey was called Kordash, who stood for power and mental sharpness; this horrible, dry desert had once been beautiful, huge forests, too. Caladishar was another being worshiped here- the Huntress. The Tigress. He told us about the differant traits of each tribe; the Norran, a people who were of the great Forge Smith, the Stygyn with their preistess, the Archists, who were magical, a great deal considered shaman, and the Kotem, who intregied me, with a Bardic mindset and lifestyle. They were the most nomadic of the tribes. There were also two more unnamed deities; two more deities known only as he who brings the storms, and she who brings the winds.

Farn excused himself, and Conchetta slipped onto a bench alone, head down. Stammering, stuttering, she informed us that she'd gotten no information. She looked so embaressed, so ashamed, that I assured her it was alright. She didn't take my assurances, and when I was about to go on, Ann's hard voice from my right said, 'Then you will try harder tomarrow'.

I flinched. Oh, Ann, it must be so wonderful to be without flaw. Conchetta stammered a bit more, then promised that she would before fleeing.

"Ann, I told you to be nice!" I snarled. She was just a kid, fiarly unexperianced and skittish.

Ann just gave me a look, then fell into discussing plans of action. He called our hirlings back in, and found that Noman wanted to take Conchetta when we told him we were interesed in finding the Kotom. We agreed he could, and sent Farn to find out about local tribal customes. Again, they got gold for what they must do. Then we settled in to eat, deciding that the rest of us would look into the five dead men. The hard part, right?

In the morning, we headed out to do just that.

Within a few minutes we found ourselves where we needed to be, at a burned house at the end of a very narrow allyway. There were sentienls gaurding the bridges to it, watching us like gaurddogs. And at the burned and smoldering home, a figure knelt before a candle, a great axe that could cleave me in two without effot was laying carelessly in the dirt beside him. A beautiful weapon, but meant for someone big. Very big.

Turned out that he was.

He was muttering prayers as we drew near, and sounded like he'd been at it for a pretty good time; for as long as the candle was burning, it seemed. And the candle had a good way left to burn yet.

We didn't have that kind of time.

The figure did not look up as we drew up, but his hand drifted to his weapon, lazy and laconic. That's the most dangerouse kind of move, that is; like a big cat lazily showing you his teeth. He's not smiling at you, that's for damn sure.



We all paused, and then Ann's hands in the small of my back, shoving me forward. I twisted around and pushed her, instead, and she dodged me with even more skill then I possesed and pushed me up once more. Grinning despite myself at our childish game of you first, I stepped forward- then reached out to snag Ann's wrist. She snarled a curse, then asked the figure to excuse us, please.

He stopped and looked up. He was huge, larger then Meyonne, bigger then nearly anyone I'd ever seen. He even dwarved Talron and Alaric, and they're not small, either of them. He was powerful, all rippling muscle and sun worn, browned skin. His eyes, though, were not stupid; we weren't looking at a musclebound lunkhead. Intellegence and curiosity, personality and a firey temper sparked in his eyes, which were brown, like his weather tousled hair. No cruelty, though, and no melevolence. His hand not on the weapon's hilt rested on his knees, and in front of his lay material, sandish colored.

"We were wondering what happened here." Ann went on softly, and his gaze instantly dulled. He looked away from us. Ann told him she didn't mean dissrepect, and that we were looking for the tailor's shop.

He told us, in that raw, broken voice, that we'd found it. It was a very deep voice, gruff. we asked him what happened, and he said only what he'd been told. When asked if he knew one of the men, he informed us one had been his uncle. Ann smiled, and introduced herself; proper name, too. He told us his name was Thorin, and explained that this had happened early morning time. All the men who'd died had been a part of a clothcraft guild. They'd been commisioned to make something for a specific group of men, and they'd all specialized in one thing in the process. They'd made the worst mistake of their lives when they'd said yes.

Barely days later, they'd all been dead.

His uncle, Thorin went on, had also sold them an emblem he'd won gambling in Molholender days ago. We asked him where he'd been for this, and found he'd been outside, fighting dark elves.

We all stopped, glancing at each other. So, he disliked drow, hu? That gave him points in my book. He'd been fighting them for over four years. The contempt, the pride, the anger, the disgust in his voice; it allrang very clear.

Then Ann asked him if he was the only one mourning the dead men. He was; he was also the only one to not belive they had been cursed. No one else would try and offer his uncle's spirit rest, so he'd come to do it himself.

My heart sank a little. Poor big guy; loosing family was hard enough, but this on top of it? and with no one else even mourning with him?

I resisted the inane urdge to pat his head.

Then Ann spoke once more. She told him we didn't belive his uncle was, either, or any of the others.....they'd been killed to-

and that's as far as she got. He roared a What!? And leapt up in one smooth bound, like any good preditor. He hovered over us all, towering even above Meyonne- and suddanly, Ann was diving behind Meyonne like a frightened mouse.

I sent her a surprised glance, then turned my attenion back on the man before us. He was storming like an angry bull, but in those expressive eyes I could see more the anger; there was hurt, and confusion, sorrow and frustration there, too. Yes, he was big and intimidating. Yes, he could squish me like a tick, if he'd wanted to.

But he didn't want to. Like anyone who'd lost a loved one, he only wanted revenge. Closure. Answers. Peace.

I began to speak. I let my words stay even and slow, soft and steady, like one would talk to a feral dog. My words were empty plaitudes, sincere but ultimatly meaningless; it wasn't what I was saying that mattered. I needed Ann to calm down, and I needed Thorin to focuse. And it was working; the more I spoke, choosing my words carefully and keeping my tone even, the more he calmed.

Once I fucked up, causing him to blow his lid again; Ann once more ducked, squeaking, behind Meyonne. I forced myself to stay calm, forced myself to see the human hurting in his eyes rather then the rage and really, really large axe he held.

Beside me, I noted, Alaric was calm, too, unaffected by the raging beast. He stayed steady at my shoulder, ready should anything happen but unflinching. I took comfort in that, in his solid pressance. I explained to him that we didn't know his uncle's killers or where to find them, no, please stop shouting, big, big barbian, but we're tracking them. Please stop scaring the elf now, we need her.

When I looked over, even Meyonne was tense and backed away from us a step or two, Ann pressed into his back and shaking like a leaf. Why were they so scared of him? He had no desire to hurt us; not unless we gave him a reason.

He accepted my words and started to calm, describing the emblem sold by his uncle. He didn't know much, besides the size and the draconic writing around the edges. Alaric and I thanked him, and he began his prayers once more, easing back down. He moved away, leaving him to it. Meyonne had scooted Ann around in front of him, and stayed pressed right to her back, like an alpha wolf guiding a mate away from threat or danger. He seemed really fucking spooked out, and so did she.

I feel even with them, unable to help teasing. "You're not scared of him, are you, Anja?" I asks, and to my surprise, it was Meyonne who spoke, telling me that man could intemidate stone.

I shrugged, and went on about walking forward. He was just a man who could physically hurt you. There's nothing all that scary about that. Physical damage is just that; you can fight back or run, you can avoid it, it's upfront and clear. If someone wants to slap you, the worst that will happen is you get slapped.

Thorin didn't scare me. People like Ann's daddy, people like Kaedwyn Monsay, they frighten me.

The sentries still watched us as we came back, and when we got to the end, Ann halted abruptly. Meyonne nearly ran her over. He said her name questiongly, and the rest of us stopped, too. She asked why we hadn't examined the remains, and the idiot moment hit me so strongly I nearly whapped myself in the forehead. Alaric said he couldn't talk to any dead, there were none left to speak with; but Ann said that's not what she meant. I asked what, and she said the lycan may have left evidence.

Once again, idiot moment.

It was decided Alaric would go in first, then Ann. Then we headed back.

Thorin watched us come back, and had no problem with us inspecting the house; though he did tell us if we stepped past the ash we'd be considered pretty much invisible to everyone in town. Or if they did speask to us, it would only be to rip us off.

Look at how much we care.

Alaric vanished into the house, then came out perhaps ten minutes later, semi-victoriouse. He said there was one area with a magical aura, nothing more. Thorin wanted to know what that meant, and Alaric explained something with magic was inside the house. He asked if Thorin knew of anything in the house that was? Thorin didn't. He didn, though, know where the dragon item was kept, and told us. Surprised surprise, that was the magic item. Apperantly, the uncle didn't know that. He demanded to know if that was why his uncle was killed, and the only answer we could give sounded weak, even to myself. We just don't know now. Alaric asked when the man had gotten it, and was told about two years ago. Alaric said that wasn't right, didn't quiet match up.

Ann's turn.

She informed us she was planning on searching the house, in case anything was left behind. As she went in, I heard her mutter about no one liking her much anyway, and I had to shake my head. Silly elf, she never made much of an attempt, did she? But that's alright, the people who mattered liked her just fine. Thorin, to my surprise, asked Ann if she said that because she was an elf. She paused in surprised, then smirked.

"Call it a problem in translation." She said, and vanished inside.

A good stretch of time later, the pair, Alaric and Ann, came out again. They told us what they'd found inside; glass shards that had taken years off Ann's life just by touching them (heh, and I already tease her about being old!) and the magical residue of the dragon peice.

Thorin asked what this meant, and Alaric told him it meant this had been planned out. Murder. He told us there was a man in the city who might help; Thorin called him 'Heshnel'. He spit it like you would a nasty tasting something you'd bitten into. He told us this Hesnel was a trained alchemist, and finding him quietly would be best.

We thanked him once more and said farewell. So did Thorin, asking us that if we found his uncle's killers to let him know. We agreed, and as we headed off, Ann suddanly spoke from behind us.

To my great surprise and pleasure, she asked Thorin if he would like to travel with us. He stopped his chanting yet again and regarded us for a bit. Then he nodded as Ann spoke to him in quiet, low tones, before pushing upright. We waited, and after a long moment, he pinched out the candle and rose.

Agreeing to come with us.

I felt myself grinning and heard Alaric chuckle to my left. "Where to?" He asked.


We decided that Ann and I were to split up to look for our newfound lead. Alaric and Thorin were coming with me, and we'd go near the tents of food and drink. Meyonn and Ann headed back towards the gambling area. We'd meet back at the airship before nightfall.

I found a private corner, when I could, and glamoured my armor, for the second time in it's life, too look rather like a loose woman's outfit. My breasts, what little of them there were, were fairly revealed, and my legs- what little of them there were- flashed through a slit in my skirt, a hint of bare flesh every other movment. I began to pass myself off as a woman looking to be rid of my husband. I got the gaurd's attention, but I also got the attention of the men I needed. Alaric and Thorin had abandoned me to look at shiney weapons, and I felt that if I pushed getting one of them, I'd loose my chance. So I took a deep breath and followed this man, alone.

He took me to a huge building, in an ally, where he tapped out a code on the door and let me in. There was a bodygaurd inside the hall, a cocky, arrogent man who kept one hand behind his back, and when at last I got him to back off,I met Heshnel himself.

Oddly, I found myself liking the man. Well, not liking ,exactly, bt there was something to Heshnel that made it impossible to hate him. Not honor, that's not the right word, but.....something. He wanted five thousand gold for information or my daggers as collateral, and I refused to give him both. So he said he'd let me walk out.

Which he did let me do. His goon tried to stop me, though, and got the upper hand on me. I screamed like a banshee, and to my surprise, Alaric and Thorin came bursting in to my rescue.

When we returned to the ship, I began to explain what had happened after Ann told us that she and Meyonne hadn't seen hide or hair of Heshnel- well no shit, friends. I wonder why that is.

I expalined what had happened, and none too happily, either. I felt grumpy and irritable, like I had failed- someone. Not myself exactly, and not the others, but- I felt like we could have done something I hadn't. Like I should have pushed things I didn't.

About halfway through my tail, another man approched the ship saying that he'd a note for us. A note that said, very simply, that Farn had been taken.

Kidnapped.

And they wanted a thousand gold to get him back.

Son of a bitch.